Systems and methods for obtaining product information in real-time

ABSTRACT

A processor-implemented method is disclosed. The method includes: receiving, from a first client device, a signal representing image data depicting at least one first document containing a product specification for a first product; performing text recognition on the image data to identify text in the at least one first document; determining at least one first value associated with the first product based on the recognized text; identifying a second product based on determining that product specification for the second product satisfies one or more predetermined criteria relating to the at least one first value; determining at least one second value associated with the second product; generating first display data including a graphical representation of the at least one second value; and transmitting, to the first client device via a communications module, a signal representing the first display data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/138,194 filed on Sep. 21, 2018, the entirety of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to data processing systems and, moreparticularly, to systems and methods for obtaining client-specificproduct information and automatically performing comparisons of relatedproducts in real-time.

BACKGROUND

Documents containing product details/specification are often lengthy andmay be overly complicated for a typical customer to understand. Aproduct's specification may include technical jargon and/orindustry-specific principles with which customers may not be familiar.Product details that are of particular interest for customers maysometimes be obscured by non-essential information. The process ofmanually reviewing product specification documents and distillingrelevant information can be onerous for customers and prospectivebuyers. As a consequence, customers may fail to adequately review suchdocuments.

This difficulty in processing product specification documents isespecially pronounced for customers who wish to compare similar productsbased, at least in part, on their respective specifications. Forexample, policy documents, such as insurance policy documents, can becomplex, making it difficult for ordinary customers to understand andappreciate details of the policy. Given limited knowledge of a product,the prospects of a customer being able to (1) identify similar products(e.g. products having similar specification) in an expedient manner, and(2) compare the products comprehensively in order to determine which ofthe products they prefer, is likely to be poor.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a system that facilitatesreal-time acquisition of product data and presentation of the data toconsumers, in a manner that can reduce the likelihood of human error oroversight in processing product information.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings which show example embodiments of the present application andin which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operating environment ofan example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a high-level operation diagram of an example computing systemfor implementing example embodiments of a product valuation system;

FIG. 3A depicts a simplified organization of software components storedin an exemplary memory of the example computing system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3B depicts a simplified organization of components in an exemplaryprocessor of the example computing system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows, in flowchart form, an example method for obtaining anestimate of a value of a product;

FIG. 5 shows, in flowchart form, an example method for analyzing text toidentify product information;

FIG. 6 shows, in flowchart form, an example method for obtaining anestimate of a value of a product;

FIG. 7 shows, in flowchart form, an example method for automaticallyrequesting cancellation of a product; and

FIG. 8 shows, in flowchart form, an example method for obtaining a quotefor an insurance product.

Like reference numerals are used in the drawings to denote like elementsand features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In an aspect, the present disclosure describes a computing system. Thecomputing system includes a memory, a communications module that iscommunicable with an external network, and a processor coupled to thememory and the communications module. The processor is configured to:receive, from a first client device, a signal representing image datadepicting at least one first document containing a product specificationfor a first product; perform text recognition on the image data toidentify text in the at least one first document; obtain a first valuerepresenting the product specification for the first product based onthe recognized text; select a second product having a productspecification represented by the first value; obtain a second valueassociated with the selected second product; generate first display dataincluding a graphical representation of the second value; and transmit,to the first client device via the communications module, a signalrepresenting the first display data.

In some implementations, the processor may be further configured toreceive, from the first client device, contextual data that defines acurrent status of the first client device. The first value representingthe product specification for the first product may be obtained based onthe recognized text and the contextual data.

In some implementations, the contextual data may comprise at least oneof: geolocation data; temperature data; motion data; altitude data; andproximity data indicating proximity to one or more known devices.

In some implementations, performing text recognition on the image datamay include: comparing the image data depicting the at least one firstdocument to one or more document templates from a first database, theone or more document templates containing product specifications for afirst set of products; and determining that there is a match between theat least one first document and a first one of the document templatesfrom the first database.

In some implementations, performing text recognition on the image datamay include applying optical character recognition (OCR) on the imagedata.

In some implementations, the processor may be further configured to:determine that the recognized text does not contain text associated withat least one first predetermined data field; generate second displaydata for prompting a user of the first client device to provideinformation relating to the at least one first predetermined data field;and transmit, to the first client device, the second display data.

In some implementations, the second display data may include a graphicaluser interface including a fillable input form containing the at leastone first predetermined field. In some implementations, the seconddisplay data may include a graphical user interface including anapplication form having the at least one first predetermined fieldhighlighted.

In some implementations, selecting the second product may includedetermining that product specification for the second product satisfiesa predefined condition associated with a predetermined data field.

In another aspect, the present disclosure describes a method forobtaining an estimate of a value of a product. The method may include:receiving, from a first client device, a signal representing image datadepicting at least one first document containing a product specificationfor a first product; performing text recognition on the image data toidentify text in the at least one first document; obtaining a firstvalue representing the product specification for the first product basedon the recognized text; selecting a second product having a productspecification represented by the first value; obtaining a second valueassociated with the selected second product; generating first displaydata including a graphical representation of the second value; andtransmitting, to the first client device via the communications module,a signal representing the first display data.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure may describe an electronicdevice. The electronic device may include a camera, a display interface,a communications module communicable with an external network, a memory,and a processor that is coupled to the camera, the display interface,the communications module, and the memory. The processor may beconfigured to: obtain image data depicting at least one first documentcontaining a product specification for a first product; perform textrecognition on the image data; generate first display data including agraphical user interface for requesting cancellation of the firstproduct, the graphical user interface being pre-populated with databased on the recognized text; and present the first display data on thedisplay interface.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure describes a computingsystem. The computing system includes a communications modulecommunicable with an external network, a memory, and a processor coupledto the communications module and the memory. The processor is configuredto: receive, from a first client device, a signal representing imagedata depicting at least one first document containing a productspecification for a first product; perform text recognition on the imagedata to identify text in the at least one first document; determine atleast one first value associated with the first product based on therecognized text; identify a second product based on determining thatproduct specification for the second product satisfies one or morepredetermined criteria relating to the at least one first value;determine at least one second value associated with the second product;generate first display data including a graphical representation of theat least one second value; and transmit, to the first client device viathe communications module, a signal representing the first display data.

In some implementations, the processor may be further configured toreceive, from the first client device, contextual data that defines acurrent status of the first client device, and the at least one firstvalue may be determined based on the recognized text and the contextualdata.

In some implementations, the contextual data may include at least oneof: geolocation data; temperature data; motion data; altitude data; orproximity data indicating proximity to one or more known devices.

In some implementations, performing text recognition on the image datamay include: comparing the image data depicting the at least one firstdocument to one or more document templates from a first database, theone or more document templates containing product specifications for afirst set of products; and determining that there is a match between theat least one first document and a first one of the document templatesfrom the first database.

In some implementations, performing text recognition on the image datamay include applying optical character recognition on the image data.

In some implementations, the processor may be further configured to:determine that the recognized text does not contain text associated withat least one first predetermined data field; generate second displaydata for prompting a user of the first client device to provideinformation relating to the at least one first predetermined data field;and transmit, to the first client device, the second display data.

In some implementations, the second display data may comprise agraphical user interface including a fillable input form containing theat least one first predetermined field.

In some implementations, the second display data may comprise agraphical user interface including an application form having the atleast one first predetermined field highlighted.

In some implementations, identifying the second product may includedetermining that product specification for the second product satisfiesa predefined condition associated with one or more predetermined datafields.

In some implementations, generating the first display data may includegenerating display data that includes a graphical representation ofproduct comparison data for the first and second products.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure describes aprocessor-implemented method. The method includes: receiving, from afirst client device, a signal representing image data depicting at leastone first document containing a product specification for a firstproduct; performing text recognition on the image data to identify textin the at least one first document; determining at least one first valueassociated with the first product based on the recognized text;identifying a second product based on determining that productspecification for the second product satisfies one or more predeterminedcriteria relating to the at least one first value; determining at leastone second value associated with the second product; generating firstdisplay data including a graphical representation of the at least onesecond value; and transmitting, to the first client device via acommunications module, a signal representing the first display data.

Other example embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art from a review of the followingdetailed descriptions in conjunction with the drawings.

In the present application, the term “and/or” is intended to cover allpossible combinations and sub-combinations of the listed elements,including any one of the listed elements alone, any sub-combination, orall of the elements, and without necessarily excluding additionalelements.

In the present application, the phrase “at least one of . . . or . . . ”is intended to cover any one or more of the listed elements, includingany one of the listed elements alone, any sub-combination, or all of theelements, without necessarily excluding any additional elements, andwithout necessarily requiring all of the elements.

In the present application, the term “product specification” mayinterchangeably refer to descriptive information relating to a productand documents that provide descriptions of the product. For example,product specification for a policy product may refer to policy detailsand requirements and/or copies (e.g. digital, physical) of documentsthat contain details of the policy.

For the ordinary consumer, comparing multiple products to determine apreferred product can often be a frustrating process. This is especiallytrue of situations where the products being compared are relativelycomplex in character (e.g. insurance policies). In particular, it may bedifficult for a customer to identify products that have the same orsimilar product specifications, such that a suitable comparison can bemade. Generally, a customer will gather product information for a firstproduct and query one or more databases containing product data forvarious products, in order to identify suitably related products.Obtaining product information can be a complicated and tedious exercise.Customers may be required to review product specifications in greatdetail and identify relevant data fields that can be used in productdatabase queries. Errors and inaccuracies in the obtained productinformation for a product may adversely affect the identification ofrelated products and, consequently, distort the product comparisonsprocess.

In an aspect, the present application discloses a system for acquiringproduct information for a first product and identifying products thatare suitably related to the first product for a particular client orcustomer. More specifically, a system for obtaining product data from aclient device and providing recommendations of related products to theclient is disclosed. The system of the present disclosure is designed toenable real-time acquisition of product data, retrieval of productdetails for related products for a particular client, and comparison ofproduct details for two or more different products. In accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure, a computing system receives, froma client device, acquired product data for a specific product. Thecomputing system processes the received data to obtain a first valuerepresenting the product specification for the product. A second,related product is automatically selected for the client, based on theproduct specification. The computing system may then perform comparisonsof the related products according to one or more criteria. Thecomparison data may be provided in various forms to users associatedwith the client device.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure describes techniques ofdisplaying product comparison data on an electronic device. Thecomparison data is based on a real-time comparison of two or morerelated products for a client. The product comparison is preceded byidentification of product details for a first product associated with aclient, and selection of a related product having the same or similarproduct specification as the first product. The product details for thefirst product may be collected from one or more different data sources.In particular, product data may be received from a client deviceassociated with the client. For example, the product data may includeimage data depicting a product specification associated with the firstproduct. Auxiliary data (e.g. contextual data) received from the clientdevice may inform the identification and, subsequently, comparison ofrelated products. The product comparison data may then be provided in asuitable form to a client associated with the client device. Forexample, a user interface which graphically represents the productcomparison data may be transmitted to the client device for displaythereon.

In a further aspect, the present disclosure describes systems andmethods for a client device to automatically request cancellation of aproduct. The product may, for example, be a product that the client hadpurchased, subscribed to, etc. Product data acquired by the clientdevice is used to automatically generate a request to cancel the product(e.g. end a subscription, notify of termination, return a digitalproduct, request a refund, etc.). The request may then be transmitted toone or more computing systems associated with administering the product.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows an exemplary operatingenvironment 100 in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary product valuation system(PVS) 150. The PVS 150 may implement processes for, among others,obtaining product-related data depicting a product's specification,identifying text in the product specification, selecting one or morerelated products having a particular product specification, obtainingvalues associated with the identified related products, generatingdisplay data representing comparison of said values for the products,and distributing the display data to one or more client devices.

The environment 100 includes a plurality of electronic devices 102. Eachelectronic device 102 is a computer system. An electronic device 102 maybe associated with an entity that obtains product-related data for afirst product and requests comparison of the first product with asuitably related second product. Such entity may be a consumer, abusiness, a system owner/administrator, or other parties desirous ofrequesting product comparisons data for related products.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 102 may be a portableelectronic device. For example, the electronic device 102 may, asillustrated, be a smartphone. The electronic device 102 may be acomputing system of another type such as a personal computer, a laptopcomputer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a hand-held computer,a personal digital assistant, a portable navigation device, a mobilephone, a smart phone, a wearable computing system (e.g., a smart watch,a wearable activity monitor, wearable smart jewelry, and glasses andother optical devices that include optical head-mounted displays), anembedded computing system (e.g., in communication with a smart textileor electronic fabric), and any other type of computing system that maybe configured to store data and software instructions, and executesoftware instructions to perform operations consistent with disclosedembodiments. In some embodiments, the electronic device 102 may includea smart card, chip card, integrated circuit card (ICC), and/or othercard having an embedded integrated circuit.

The electronic device 102 is configured to execute software, such as aproducts comparison application (not shown). A products comparisonapplication may, for example, be a web application (e.g. single-pageapplication, or SPA), a mobile application, or a desktop application. Insome embodiments, the products comparison application may be implementedas a component or feature of another application, such as a mobilebanking or payment app. The products comparison application may be anapplication that can be used by a client to request to receive productinformation for various products and product comparison data for two ormore different products. For example, the products comparisonapplication may be used to retrieve information for products that arerelated to a user-selected product. As another example, a user mayobtain product comparison data for two or more different but relatedproducts upon making a request using the products comparisonapplication. In some embodiments, the products comparison applicationmay comprise a Web browser application that is configured to run anddisplay a Web form interface for clients to use when requesting productcomparison data.

The network 120 is a computer network. The network 120 allows computersystems in communication therewith to communicate. For example, asillustrated, the network 120 may allow the electronic devices 102 tocommunicate with the PVS 150 and a product specification templatesdatabase 180.

The product valuation system (PVS) 150 is implemented as part of acomputer system. The PVS 150 may be implemented by one or more computingsystems such as, for example, database servers, computer servers, andthe like. For example, the PVS 150 may be implemented by servers thatare connected to or integrated with resources accessible by a pluralityof computing systems. As another example, the PVS 150 may be implementedby servers associated with a financial institution (e.g. bank, creditunion, etc.) interfacing with devices associated with current and/orprospective customers of the financial institution. The computingsystems may be in communication with each other using the network 120.Alternatively, the computing systems may communicate using anothernetwork such as, for example, a local-area network (LAN). In someembodiments, the PVS 150 may be implemented by multiple computingsystems organized in a tiered arrangement (e.g. middle-tier and back-endcomputing systems). In some embodiments, the PVS 150 may be provided bya cluster formed of a plurality of interoperating computing systems.

The PVS 150 may, in association with one or more different computersystems, handle various services relating to, among others, productinformation and comparison data request processing, image data analysis,product data retrieval and processing, customer accounts datamanagement, and control of user interfaces for requesting and accessingproducts information and product comparison data. FIG. 1 illustrates aproduct value acquisition module 152 which may be included as part of acomputer system implementing the PVS 150. The product value acquisitionmodule 152 may be integrated into the PVS 150 or it may be provided by aremote computing unit that is communicably coupled to the computersystem administering the PVS 150.

The product value acquisition module 152 processes input data relatingto products and generates values associated with the products. A “value”associated with a product may be any property of a product that can bequantitatively or qualitatively described including, for example,monetary value, type, function, appearance, term/duration, etc. Theproduct value acquisition module 152 may acquire product-related datafor a product and apply the data as inputs to a mechanism for deriving avalue associated with the product. For example, the product valueacquisition module 152 may implement one or more suitable algorithms fora product, using the acquired product data as inputs, to generate avalue for the product.

The product specification templates (PST) database 180 may contain oneor more templates of product specifications for various differentproducts. In at least some embodiments, the PST database 180 may storetemplates of specifications for products that are offered by differentproviders. The templates in the PST database 180 may be categorizedaccording to one or more criteria, such as product type, product line,and manufacturer/provider, etc. The PST database 180 may be updated (forexample, by a database administrator, product manufacturer, etc.) byadding new or revised specifications or by deleting void or outdatedspecifications. The PST database 180 may be accessible by at least thePVS 150. Specifically, the PST database 180 may be integrated into thePVS 150 or communicably connected to the PVS 150 via, for example, thenetwork 120.

FIG. 2 is a high-level operation diagram of an example computing system200 that may be configured to implement a PVS 150. The computing system200 of FIG. 2 includes a variety of modules. For example, asillustrated, the computing system 200 may include a processor 202, amemory 210, an input interface module 220, an output interface module230, and a communications module 240. As illustrated, the foregoingexample modules of the computing system 200 are in communication over abus 250.

The processor 202 is a hardware processor. Processor 202 may, forexample, be one or more ARM, Intel x86, PowerPC processors or the like.

The memory 210 allows data to be stored and retrieved. The memory 210may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, andpersistent storage. Persistent storage may be, for example, flashmemory, a solid-state drive or the like. Read-only memory and persistentstorage are a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium maybe organized using a file system such as may be administered by anoperating system governing overall operation of the electronic device102.

The input interface module 220 allows the computing system 200 toreceive input signals. Input signals may, for example, correspond toinput received from a user. The input interface module 220 may serve tointerconnect the computing system 200 with one or more input devices.Input signals may be received from input devices by the input interfacemodule 220. Input devices may, for example, include one or more of atouchscreen input, keyboard, trackball or the like. In some embodiments,all or a portion of the input interface module 220 may be integratedwith an input device. For example, the input interface module 220 may beintegrated with one of the aforementioned example input devices.

The output interface module 230 allows the computing system 200 toprovide output signals. Some output signals may, for example allowprovision of output to a user. The output interface module 230 may serveto interconnect the computing system 200 with one or more outputdevices. Output signals may be sent to output devices by outputinterface module 230. Output devices may include, for example, a displayscreen such as, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), atouchscreen display. Additionally or alternatively, output devices mayinclude devices other than screens such as, for example, a speaker,indicator lamps (such as for, example, light-emitting diodes (LEDs)),and printers. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the outputinterface module 230 may be integrated with an output device. Forexample, the output interface module 230 may be integrated with one ofthe aforementioned example output devices.

The communications module 240 allows the computing system 200 tocommunicate with other electronic devices and/or various communicationsnetworks. For example, the communications module 240 may allow thecomputing system 200 to send or receive communications signals.Communications signals may be sent or received according to one or moreprotocols or according to one or more standards. For example, thecommunications module 240 may allow the computing system 200 tocommunicate via a cellular data network, such as for example, accordingto one or more standards such as, for example, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), EvolutionData Optimized (EVDO), Long-term Evolution (LTE) or the like.Additionally or alternatively, the communications module 240 may allowthe computing system 200 to communicate using near-field communication(NFC), via Wi-Fi™, using Bluetooth™ or via some combination of one ormore networks or protocols. Contactless payments may be made using NFC.In some embodiments, all or a portion of the communications module 240may be integrated into a component of the computing system 200. Forexample, the communications module may be integrated into acommunications chipset.

Software comprising instructions is executed by the processor 202 from acomputer-readable medium. For example, software may be loaded intorandom-access memory from persistent storage of memory 210. Additionallyor alternatively, instructions may be executed by the processor 202directly from read-only memory of memory 210.

FIG. 3A depicts a simplified organization of software components storedin memory 210 of the computing system 200. As illustrated, thesesoftware components include an operating system 300 and PVS 150.

The operating system 300 is software. The operating system 300 allowsthe PVS 150 to access the processor 202, the memory 210, the inputinterface module 220, the output interface module 230 and thecommunications module 240. The operating system 300 may be, for example,Apple iOS™, Google™ Android™, Linux™, Microsoft™ Windows™, or the like.

FIG. 3B depicts a simplified organization of components exemplary of anembodiment of the processor 202. As illustrated, the processor 202includes an image processing module 170 and a user interface (UI)manager module 320. The UI manager 320 manages information that may bedisplayed on a client device when a user makes a manual request toobtain product information for a user-selected product or productscomparison data for two or more products. When a user requests to accessproduct information or products comparison data, it is desirable todisplay information about the request that is specifically tailored forthat user. For example, a requester may wish to view, via the userinterface, information regarding the products being compared, such asproduct type, comparable features and properties, product data andstatistics, manufacturer/provider, relative pricing, etc. The UI manager320 may generate a user interface which can be displayed on the deviceof a requester, such that the requester can make a manual request (forproduct information and/or products comparison data) to a productassessment platform such as PVS 150, using the user interface. Inparticular, the UI manager 320 may determine display data that should berendered for a requesting user's device.

The image processing module 170 includes, at least, a parsing module172, which contains a field recognition engine 173 and an OCR engine174. Each of these components and their respective functions will bediscussed in turn with reference to the method 400 in FIG. 4.

Reference is made to FIG. 4, which shows, in flowchart form, an examplemethod 400 for obtaining an estimate of a value associated with aproduct. Additionally or alternatively, the method 400 may beimplemented as a subroutine of a process for automatically identifyingproducts that are related to a user-selected product and comparing theidentified products. The method 400 may be performed by a computingsystem, such as PVS 150, that is configured to obtain, evaluate, andpresent product information for one or more products. The product may,for example, be a policy, such as an insurance policy. The computingsystem may be communicably coupled to a plurality of client devicescorresponding to product information requesting entities.

In operation 402, the computing system receives, from a client device,image data depicting at least one first document containing a productspecification for a first product. For example, the computing system mayreceive, via the communications module, a signal that includes imagedata captured by the client device. The first document may be a policydocument and/or a legal document. The first document may, for example,be an insurance policy document which identifies one or more terms,clauses, or conditions associated with an insurance policy. For example,the first document may reflect terms and conditions of a proposedpolicy, such as terms of a new automobile, health, life or housinginsurance policy.

In some embodiments, the computing system may be configured toautomatically recognize if the received image data depicts a certaintype of document. An image processing module (such as image processingmodule 170 of FIG. 3B) of the computing system may implement one or moretechniques for document image classification, in operation 402. Theimaged document may be classified as a first type (e.g. insurance policydeclaration) based on, for example, (local) image features, physicallayout, logical structure, and/or textual features. For example, thereceived image may be processed by the image processing module using,for example, pattern recognition (e.g. template matching), documentlayout analysis, and/or other algorithms, to determine that the documentthat is captured in the image is of a first type.

The image data may, in some embodiments, be processed to facilitatefurther operations of the method 400. For example, since the image dataof any one image may not reflect a complete document, the computingsystem may perform stitching based on multiple images in order todetermine a more complete representation of the first document. In someinstances, the computing system may parse the image data into aplurality of segments by automatically evaluating a geometric structureof the first document represented in the image data. For example, thecomputing system may identify whitespace having predefinedcharacteristics in order to separate the image into sections orsegments. Whitespace that is determined to represent carriage returns orindentations may be used to identify paragraphs of the document, and theimage data may be separated into paragraphs.

In operation 404, text recognition is performed based on the receivedimage data. For example, the image data or a portion thereof (such as asection or segment) may be analyzed to identify text contained therein.The image data may be processed by a parsing module (such as parsingmodule 172 of FIG. 3B) of the computing system to extract one or moretext entry items from the imaged document. In some embodiments, whenperforming text recognition on the image data, the computing system maycompare the image to one or more document templates from a templatesdatabase (such as PST database 180). The document templates may, forexample, contain product specifications for various products. Thecomputing system may determine whether there is a match between theimaged (first) document and one (or more) of the document templates fromthe templates database.

An example implementation of operation 404 is described. The receivedimage data may first be passed to a field recognition engine, whichdetermines regions and boundaries of the received image that correspondto the various data fields of an identified document type. The fieldrecognition engine may, for example, perform a layout analysis bysegmenting the document image into regions having homogeneous contentand assigning a logical meaning (e.g. association with a data field) toeach of the regions. Additionally or alternatively, the fieldrecognition engine may employ a template matching technique to identifyfeature matches between the received image and document templates.Specifically, template matching can be used to identify regions of thereceived image that match data field labels and their neighboringregions in one or more document templates. By way of example, in someembodiments, the received image may be compared to one or more documenttemplates, in order to identify matches of data fields. A data field inthe received image of the document may be identified by detecting amatch with a data field in one of the templates based on, for example,dimensions/shape of the data field, text or graphics label associatedwith the data field, and/or relative location of the data field on theimaged document.

Once the data field boundaries (and, accordingly, the corresponding datafield regions) on the received image are identified, the image may befurther processed by the optical character recognition (OCR) engine. TheOCR engine is capable of converting images of typed, handwritten, orprinted text into digital format, such as machine-encoded text. The OCRengine detects an image representation of a text entry item in aparticular data field region and converts the image representation intotext format. In this way, the text associated with the text entry itemsrepresented in the received image of the document can be extracted.

In some embodiments, the OCR engine may be used in identifying datafields on the received image of the document. In particular, the textcontent of a data entry item on the imaged document that is detected bythe OCR engine may indicate or suggest the corresponding data field. Forexample, if the detected text reads “One Hundred and Fifty Dollars”, thecorresponding data field may be presumed to be an “Amount” field. Insome embodiments, the OCR engine may even be configured to detect andconvert data field labels into text, which would facilitate identifyingthe data fields. For example, the OCR engine may read “Insured Product:”and assign the associated data field as a “Coverage Type” field;similarly, the OCR engine may detect the phrase “In the Amount of:” inthe received image and determine that the associated data field (e.g. ablank space immediately adjacent to the data label) corresponds to the“Amount” field. These techniques of “dynamically” identifying datafields by the OCR engine may be combined with static template matchingmethods in some instances. For example, the information obtained by theOCR engine may be used to verify, or weight a level of confidence, thatthe identification of data fields by means of static templatematching/comparison is correct.

In some embodiments, the text obtained at operation 404 may be furtherprocessed. For example, in some instances, the stitching described abovemay not be performed on the image and may, instead, be performed on thetext itself. That is, text obtained from multiple images may be analyzedin order to prepare a more fulsome version of the text of the firstdocument. Additionally or alternatively, segmentation operations may beperformed based on the analyzed text. By way of further example, wherethe document is a policy document such as a legal document, paragraph orclause numbers may be used to separate the document into sections orsegments to facilitate the analysis operations described below.

The text that is recognized from the image data in operation 404 may bedeficient. In some embodiments, the computing system may be configuredto determine that the recognized text does not contain text associatedwith at least one data field that is known to be included in the firstdocument. In response to determining that there is a deficiency in therecognized text, the computing system may generate display data forprompting a user of the client device to provide information relating tothe missing one or more data fields. For example, the display data maybe a graphical user interface including a fillable input form containingthe at least one data field. Alternatively, the display data may be agraphical user interface including an application form having themissing data fields highlighted. The computing system may then transmitthe display data to the client device in order to solicit additionalinformation from the user(s) associated with the client device.

Control flow next proceeds to operation 406, where a first valuerepresenting the product specification for the first product is obtainedbased on the recognized text. That is, the text extracted from the imagedata is analyzed to identify the first value associated with the firstproduct. The analyzed text may be the text identified in operation 404or a further-processed version of such text, such as a document sectionor segment.

The first value may, for example, comprise one or more data fields andassociated data entry items. By way of example, the first value may be aset of numerical values representing one or both of a deductible and acoverage limit. The analysis may be performed, for example, usingtemplate-based analysis techniques, machine-learning techniques, orboth. For example, in some embodiments, the computing system may beconfigured to recognize a limited set of documents. That is, thecomputing system may only recognize known types of documents. By way ofexample, where the first document represents an insurance policy, thecomputing system may be configured to recognize only a limited set ofinsurance policy documents. The set may be limited, for example, sinceinsurance policy documents often include standard language and eachinsurer may use only a limited set of insurance policy documents.

In some embodiments, a template-based analysis may be a multi-stageanalysis. For example, the computing system may first analyze theextracted text or the image data to determine a type associated with thefirst document. The type may be determined, for example, based on wordcombinations, phrases, sentences, logos, etc. that are known to becontained in a certain type of document and that are not included inother known types of documents. Once identified, the type may be used toidentify a template that is to be used to analyze the document, and thefirst value may be determined using the text and the identifiedtemplate. For example, the computing system may recognize that only oneknown template includes the sentence “However, note that a decrease inyour deductible, if available, will result in an increase in premiums.”Upon identifying this sentence in the text, the computing system mayselect a template that is associated with the document type thatincludes the identified sentence and may use this template to identifythe first value. For example, the template may indicate that the firstvalue is located adjacent to the text “Your deductible will be”.

The computing system may have access to classification data, which maybe stored locally or remotely, which defines a plurality of templates.For example, each template may specify one or more words, wordcombinations, phrases, or sentences that are located near a parameterthat is to be identified. For example, a template may specify a wordcombination that immediately precedes a parameter for a certain knowntype of document. For example, the template may specify that theparameter is located adjacent to the phrase “Your deductible will be”.The computing system may then identify the first parameter byidentifying the word combination.

A machine learning module may be used by the computing system inoperation 406 to obtain the first value. The machine learning module mayhave been trained to identify the first value. For example, the machinelearning module may have been trained with a set of documents and knownparameters specified in such documents. The training set may haveincluded a plurality of documents and a deductible (or other firstvalue) contained in the text of such documents. Accordingly, in someimplementations of operation 406, the computing system may pass at leasta portion of the text through a machine learning module that has beentrained to identify one or more parameters including the first value.The machine learning module may output the first value based on thetext.

FIG. 5 shows, in flowchart form, an example method 500 that may beperformed by a computing system as a subroutine of operation 406 of FIG.4.

In operation 510, the computing system determines whether the firstdocument corresponds to a known type. This determination may beperformed as described above. For example, word combinations, phrases,sentences, etc. in the text may be analyzed to determine whether theyare associated with a known type of document.

If it is determined that the first document does not correspond to aknown type, machine learning may be performed at operation 530 in themanner described above to identify the first parameter. In someinstances, a template may also be created based on the text of theimaged document and stored (in operation 540) so that future instancesof documents having a type that is the same as the first document can beanalyzed using template-based techniques. For example, the template maybe defined to specify a technique by which the first value may belocated; for example, by defining nearby words or word combinations.Unique identification data associated with the document type may also bestored so that the computing system may subsequently identify otherdocuments of the same type. For example, unique word combinations,phrases, sentences, etc. may be stored.

If, however, it is determined that the first document corresponds to aknown type, template-based analysis techniques of the type describedabove may be performed at operation 520 to identify the first value.

Returning again to FIG. 4, after the first value is identified, controlflow may proceed to operation 408. In operation 408, a second producthaving a product specification represented by the first value isselected (for example, from a products database). More specifically, thecomputing system may identify a second product, different from the firstproduct, which has a particular specification. In some embodiments, thesecond product (e.g. a product offered by a competitor to the providerof the first product) may be selected based on determining that productspecification for the second product satisfies a predetermined conditionassociated with a predetermined data field. In particular, the secondproduct may be selected so that it has the same or similarproperties/values with respect to one or more specific data fields. Forexample, if the first product has a certain property (e.g. coveragelimit is $500), a product from a products database may be selected asthe second product if it has the same (i.e. coverage limit is $500)property or falls within a predefined range (i.e. coverage limit is$480; coverage limit is within $50 of that for the first product).

The selection of the second product may be performed in real-time, inoperation 408. The second product may be selected by, for example,querying a database of products to obtain, in real-time, a producthaving a specification that is represented by the first value. Byselecting the second product and acquiring product data for the secondproduct in real-time, the computing system may obtain productinformation that is relevant for making a purchase decision and presentthe information to customers in a timely manner. A customer will usuallymake a purchase decision, including a comparison of similar or relatedproducts, within a short span of time. A system that dynamically obtainsproduct data in real-time can inform a purchase decision during the timespan in which the customer's attention is focused on a specific productbeing considered for purchase. In particular, such a system may becapable of presenting product comparison data for products that arerelated or similar to a specific product that is considered by acustomer for purchase.

In operation 410, the computing system obtains a second value associatedwith the selected second product. The second value may, for example, bea numerical value associated with the second product, such as price,term length, etc. In at least some embodiments, the second valuecorresponds to a data field or property for which the first product alsohas a value. That is, the second value may be selected only if acorresponding first value also exists. The computing system may beconfigured to retrieve the second value from a products databasecontaining information pertaining to the second product. For example,the computing system may itself maintain, or have access to, one or moredatabases that contain product-related data for the second product. Thecomputing system may query the databases to retrieve the second valueassociated with the second product. In some embodiments, rather thanretrieving a predefined value for the second value, the computing systemmay compute the second value, using one or more parameters representedby the first value as inputs. For example, upon determining the provider(e.g. manufacturer, company) that offers the second product, thecomputing system may be configured to apply a suitable algorithmassociated with said provider to compute the second value for the secondproduct.

In operation 412, the computing system generates display data thatincludes a graphical representation of the second value. The displaydata may then be provided to the first client device. That is, a signalrepresenting the display data may be transmitted, via the communicationsmodule of the computing system, to the first client device.

In at least some embodiments, the display data generated in operation412 may include a representation of a comparison of the first productand the second product. More specifically, the second value associatedwith the second product (from operation 410) may be compared to acorresponding value for the first product. For example, where the secondvalue is a deductible associated with a second insurance policy, acorresponding value (i.e. deductible) for a different first insurancepolicy product may be compared to the second value. The first and secondproducts may be different versions/iterations of the same product, orproducts that are offered by different providers (e.g. competinginsurance companies). For example, the first document may be a currentpolicy document for a client and the second product may be a policyproduct that is offered by a competing provider.

The display data generated in operation 412 may indicate a difference inthe corresponding values for the first and second products. For example,the computing system may be configured to identify differences betweenthe corresponding values for the two products and to provide annotationdata to highlight the differences.

In operation 414, a signal representing the display data is transmittedto the first client device. The display data may be transmitted to thefirst client device in real-time, such that relevant product informationfor facilitating a customer's purchase decision can be presented to thecustomer in a timely fashion. For example, the second value may beincluded as part of a graphical representation of product comparisondata for the first and second products that is presented to thecustomer. The display data may be presented immediately after thecustomer captures image data depicting the first document containing aproduct specification for the first product.

More generally, the method 400 may be extended to provide productcomparison data for three or more different products, based on capturingimage data of a document containing a product specification for a firstproduct. The image can be processed to obtain product specification forthe first product, and a plurality of products having the same orsimilar production specification as the first product may be selected.The computing system may then generate product comparison data for thefirst and selected products, and transmit the data to a client device,for example, for presentation to a customer.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which shows another example method 600for obtaining an estimate of a value associated with a product. Themethod 600 may, in some instances, be implemented as a subroutine of aprocess for automatically identifying products that are related to auser-selected product and comparing the identified products. The method600 may be performed by a computing system, such as PVS 150, that isconfigured to obtain, evaluate, and present product information for oneor more products.

Operation 602, 604 and 610 of method 600 correspond to operations 402,404 and 410 of method 400, respectively. In operation 602, the computingsystem receives, from a client device, image data depicting at least onefirst document containing a product specification for a first product.Text recognition is performed on the received image data to extract textfrom the at least one first document, in operation 604. According tomethod 600, the computing system may be configured to additionallyreceive contextual data from the client device, in operation 606. Thecontextual data may define a current status of the client device, andmay comprise at least one of: geolocation data, temperature data, motiondata, altitude data, and proximity data indicating proximity to one ormore known devices. The contextual data received from the client devicecan be useful in verifying product specification for the first productor as a supplement to the text recognition process in operation 604. Forexample, where the image data is insufficient to enable accurate textrecognition, contextual data from the client device may be used tosupplement any text extracted from the imaged document, in order toobtain a comprehensive product specification for the first product.

In operation 608, the computing system selects a second product relatedto the first product, based on both the text extracted from the imageddocument and the contextual data from the client device. A second valueassociated with the selected second product is then obtained, inoperation 610. This second value may be transmitted to the clientdevice, either in stand-alone format or as part of a graphicalrepresentation of a comparison between the first product and the secondproduct.

By way of example, the computing system may receive, from a clientdevice, geolocation data associated with the device. The geolocationdata may allow for inferring, for example, an address of a home, office,etc. when the device is assumed or confirmed to be at those locations.This information may lead to further inference, such as neighbourhood,proximity to known landmarks, etc., about the user/device's specificlocation. In the context of an insurance policy product for a specificproperty, the textual data obtained from analyzing images of the policymay be supplemented (and/or confirmed) by information about the propertythat is directly derived or inferred from contextual data received fromthe client device.

In some embodiments, the computing system may receive historicalcontextual data from a client device. The client device may, forexample, maintain a log of contextual data obtained at the client device(e.g. via sensors associated with the device). As an example, the clientdevice may log the speed of an automobile when the device is locatedinside the automobile. This historical data may be used to supplement orconfirm information about an automobile or product specifications forproducts relating to the automobile, such as an automobile insurancepolicy.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which shows, in flowchart form, anexample method 700 for automatically requesting cancellation of aproduct. The method 700 may be implemented by an electronic devicehaving an image-capture functionality. More specifically, an electronicdevice having a camera and a processor coupled to the camera may performthe method 700.

In operation 702, the electronic device obtains image data depicting atleast one first document containing a product specification for a firstproduct. The first product may, for example, be a policy (e.g. insurancepolicy) to which a user of the electronic device is subscribed to and/orhas purchased. The electronic device performs text recognition on theimage data, in operation 704, to extract text from the imaged firstdocument.

Upon extracting the text, the electronic device may generate, inoperation 706, display data including a graphical user interface forrequesting cancellation of the first product. The graphical userinterface is pre-populated with data based on the recognized text. In atleast some embodiments, the extracted text may be analyzed to identifytext in one or more predetermined data fields which may be required forgenerating a suitably formatted cancellation request. For example, thecomputing system may determine, for the first product, those data fieldswhich are at least minimally required for a properly formattedcancellation request to the provider of the first product. Such fieldsmay include name of provider, contact information for said provider, andidentifying information for the customer. The identification of datafields, and subsequent extraction of data from the data fields, may bebased on techniques such as template matching, machine learning, etc.

In operation 708, the display data is presented on a display interfaceof the electronic device. The electronic device may be configured toreceive, via an input interface associated with the electronic device, auser input indicating confirmation of a cancellation request. Inresponse to receiving the user input, the electronic device may transmitthe request for cancellation to a first remote server (e.g.administrator server for a product provider). The server to which thecancellation request is transmitted may be identified based, forexample, on text extracted from the imaged document and querying adatabase of known product providers and their requirements for properlyformatted cancellation requests.

FIG. 8 shows, in flowchart form, an example method 800 for obtaining aquote for an insurance policy. The method 800 may be performed by acomputing system implementing a product valuation system, such as PVS150 of FIG. 1. For example, a server that is connected to one or moreclient devices and that has access to data relating to various differentinsurance policies may be configured to implement the method 800.

In operation 802, the computing system receives, from a first clientdevice, a signal representing image data that depicts one or more of aclient's insurance declaration pages associated with a first insuranceproduct. In some embodiments, the image data may only depict certainparts of an insurance declaration page. For example, the image data maydepict only those portions of documents that contain text. The text may,for example, correspond to predetermined data labels/fields andassociated input data. The image data may, in some cases, depictportions that have specific locations on the documents. For example, theimage data may capture portions corresponding to header and/or footersections of the documents.

In operation 804, text recognition may be performed on the image data toidentify text in the one or more insurance declaration pages. Thecomputing system may itself perform text recognition/extraction from theimage data, or transmit the image data to a text recognition service. Inat least some embodiments, the images are converted to machine-encodedtext (e.g. by OCR), and the text is extracted for further processing.The extracted text may include text that is associated with specificdata fields for the first insurance product. For example, the text thatis extracted may include the name of a policy provider, a deductibleamount, coverage limits, asset value, and total premium.

In operation 806, the computing system selects a second insuranceproduct based on the identified text. In some embodiments, the secondinsurance product that is selected may have similar (or same) coverage(e.g. deductible, coverage amount) as the first insurance product. Thatis, the computing system may use the textual data extracted from thereceived images to identify a different insurance product that has asimilar (or same) coverage. The first and second insurance products may,for example, be offered by different providers. In particular, thesecond insurance product may be a product that is offered by a providerdifferent from the provider for the first insurance product.

In operation 808, a second value associated with the selected secondinsurance product is obtained. This second value may, for example, be apremium associated with the selected insurance policy. Once the secondvalue is obtained, it may be transmitted to the first client device fordisplay on the device. For example, the second value may be included aspart of comparison data that shows premiums associated with a pluralityof insurance policies. The comparison data may include data relating to,at least, the first and second insurance products, and identify names ofproviders of the respective products. The display data that istransmitted to the first client device may include a graphicalrepresentation of the comparison data.

The various embodiments presented above are merely examples and are inno way meant to limit the scope of this application. Variations of theinnovations described herein will be apparent to persons of ordinaryskill in the art, such variations being within the intended scope of thepresent application. In particular, features from one or more of theabove-described example embodiments may be selected to createalternative example embodiments including a sub-combination of featureswhich may not be explicitly described above. In addition, features fromone or more of the above-described example embodiments may be selectedand combined to create alternative example embodiments including acombination of features which may not be explicitly described above.Features suitable for such combinations and sub-combinations would bereadily apparent to persons skilled in the art upon review of thepresent application as a whole. The subject matter described herein andin the recited claims intends to cover and embrace all suitable changesin technology.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computing system, comprising: acommunications module communicable with an external network; a memory;and a processor coupled to the communications module and the memory, theprocessor being configured to: receive, from a first client device, asignal representing image data depicting at least one first documentcontaining a product specification for a first product; perform textrecognition on the image data to identify text in the at least one firstdocument; determine at least one first value associated with the firstproduct based on the recognized text; identify a second product based ondetermining that product specification for the second product satisfiesone or more predetermined criteria relating to the at least one firstvalue; determine at least one second value associated with the secondproduct; generate first display data including a graphicalrepresentation of the at least one second value; and transmit, to thefirst client device via the communications module, a signal representingthe first display data.
 2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to receive, from the first clientdevice, contextual data that defines a current status of the firstclient device, and wherein the at least one first value is determinedbased on the recognized text and the contextual data.
 3. The computingsystem of claim 2, wherein the contextual data comprises at least oneof: geolocation data; temperature data; motion data; altitude data; orproximity data indicating proximity to one or more known devices.
 4. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein performing text recognition on theimage data comprises: comparing the image data depicting the at leastone first document to one or more document templates from a firstdatabase, the one or more document templates containing productspecifications for a first set of products; and determining that thereis a match between the at least one first document and a first one ofthe document templates from the first database.
 5. The computing systemof claim 1, wherein performing text recognition on the image datacomprises applying optical character recognition on the image data. 6.The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: determine that the recognized text does not contain textassociated with at least one first predetermined data field; generatesecond display data for prompting a user of the first client device toprovide information relating to the at least one first predetermineddata field; and transmit, to the first client device, the second displaydata.
 7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the second displaydata comprises a graphical user interface including a fillable inputform containing the at least one first predetermined field.
 8. Thecomputing system of claim 6, wherein the second display data comprises agraphical user interface including an application form having the atleast one first predetermined field highlighted.
 9. The computing systemof claim 1, wherein identifying the second product comprises determiningthat product specification for the second product satisfies a predefinedcondition associated with one or more predetermined data fields.
 10. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein generating the first display datacomprises generating display data that includes a graphicalrepresentation of product comparison data for the first and secondproducts.
 11. A processor-implemented method comprising: receiving, froma first client device, a signal representing image data depicting atleast one first document containing a product specification for a firstproduct; performing text recognition on the image data to identify textin the at least one first document; determining at least one first valueassociated with the first product based on the recognized text;identifying a second product based on determining that productspecification for the second product satisfies one or more predeterminedcriteria relating to the at least one first value; determining at leastone second value associated with the second product; generating firstdisplay data including a graphical representation of the at least onesecond value; and transmitting, to the first client device via acommunications module, a signal representing the first display data. 12.The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving, from the firstclient device, contextual data that defines a current status of thefirst client device, and wherein the at least one first value isdetermined based on the recognized text and the contextual data.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the contextual data comprises at least oneof: geolocation data; temperature data; motion data; altitude data; orproximity data indicating proximity to one or more known devices. 14.The method of claim 11, wherein performing text recognition on the imagedata comprises: comparing the image data depicting the at least onefirst document to one or more document templates from a first database,the one or more document templates containing product specifications fora first set of products; and determining that there is a match betweenthe at least one first document and a first one of the documenttemplates from the first database.
 15. The method of claim 11, whereinperforming text recognition on the image data comprises applying opticalcharacter recognition on the image data.
 16. The method of claim 11,further comprising: determining that the recognized text does notcontain text associated with at least one first predetermined datafield; generating second display data for prompting a user of the firstclient device to provide information relating to the at least one firstpredetermined data field; and transmitting, to the first client device,the second display data.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the seconddisplay data comprises a graphical user interface including a fillableinput form containing only the at least one first predetermined field.18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second display data comprises agraphical user interface including an application form having the atleast one first predetermined field highlighted.
 19. The method of claim11, wherein identifying the second product comprises determining thatproduct specification for the second product satisfies a predefinedcondition associated with one or more predetermined data fields.
 20. Themethod of claim 11, wherein generating the first display data comprisesgenerating display data that includes a graphical representation ofproduct comparison data for the first and second products.